


Between Sky and Earth

by Tsumichama



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Implied Relationships, M/M, aviation AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-02-19 10:17:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2384747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsumichama/pseuds/Tsumichama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Interwar aviation AU. The Reds fly over the seas with precious shipments on board. The Blues, from the ground, are there to assist them so they travel safely. Main pairing is Mikorei. Explicit chapter is Ch.3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So I was supposed to write a oneshot for Munakata's BD, but then the idea of this fic came up... The other day, I was reading a book on aviation and thought it would make a nice setting for a MikoRei AU. Then I went on tumblr and saw the new poster preview. It begged to be done, I thought, it begged to be done...

The day is about to give way to the night but Munakata’s shift is not over yet. First person in charge of planes’ departures and arrivals in the Japanese territory, he has to do the survey of flights’ schedules, weather conditions and the integrity of planes, so that all that's on board reaches its destination; the shipment, of course, because many lives depend on these medicines, victuals, or even the couriers; but first and foremost, the pilots, because these men who risk their lives have a family, a home to return to.

Tonight, Munakata is waiting for two planes to arrive, one coming home from a mission in the East, and another ground handling from the West and supposed to resume its journey tomorrow.

Aboard the plane supposed to land first is Yatagarasu, HOMRA’s crow, a young pilot known for being intrepid, if not careless. Still, he is one of their best pilots.

The person in charge of the maintenance of the planes, Fushimi Saruhiko, is waiting with Munakata. He is a former pilot, actually having joined with Yata, but he has switched sides to be part of the ground personnel. It’s not that he was a bad pilot -on the contrary, but Munakata had noticed his talents for bricolage and everything related to technologies and proposed him to join the Blues. The boy wasn’t very satisfied of his job then, so he didn’t need much convincing.

Yata’s landing has been scheduled for about half an hour from now and there has been no communication telling otherwise, meaning that all has been going well. Still, Fushimi has been pacing up and down the landing strip like a future father waiting in the hallway of the delivery room, fearing that his wife and baby will never come back to him alive.

The teen is not supposed to be on duty tonight, so it is quite intriguing to see him here. Looking at him, Munakata wonders why he seems so worried. No news is good news says the proverb, but then again, he considers that, having been a pilot himself, Fushimi must know better that things can go from better to worse in the blink of an eye. 

He obviously doesn’t look like he wants to be distracted from his preoccupations, but an unwelcoming facade has never been an obstacle for Munakata when he’s decided to cheer on his subordinates.

“Fushimi-kun,” he calls, only to be welcomed with a scowl, but doesn’t relent just yet. “I’m sure your former friend is going to return safe and sound, so you need not to worry so much.”

“I’m not worried about that virgin,” the other counters.

_I’m not asking about your sexual lives, or lack of, as it is,_ is what Munakata wants to reply, but then he recalls that he is there to comfort the grumpy boy and decides against the teasing. “Then, for what reason have you been going back and forth on the strip since earlier?”

“If that airhead damages his plane, I’m the one who’s going to have to repair it,” Fushimi says, looking away.

“But it would be cut from his bonus.” It is Munakata’s way of telling that the boy has no reason to act carelessly.

Fushimi snickers at that intuiting Munakata that he’s at least managed to distract him a little, “Heh, the idiot has already enough trouble as it is paying for his rent so what would happen if you cut his paycheck further.”

“These are the rules, Fushimi-kun. Pilots must return with their planes unarmed, or else they get sanctions.”

“Tsk, this is why members of HOMRA despise the ground personnel. You just don’t understand. It’s not like their engines get damaged only because of the pilots. Sometimes it's something that can’t be helped.”

Munakata _does_ understand that much, but he looks at the teen with his penetrating gaze, “Fushimi-kun, we’re not here to worry about such details, but to get things _done_. Regardless on who or what the fault lies, if the results are the same, why should the sanctions be different? It is to make sure that they take extra-care of their planes. If because of that we get hate, then again, we aren’t here to be loved either. It is all for the greater good. Isn’t that why you joined our team?”

“I joined because my skills here aren’t wasted like in these planes and with these idiots, no more. I couldn’t care less about your ‘greater good’.”

“Well, that’s fine too, as long as you get the job done,” Munakata says with a smile. People’s motivations do not matter, the ones they _claim_ or the ones they _hide_. Because Munakata’s no fool; if Fushimi wants to put his talent to the _best_ use, then this place isn’t for him.

So it’s fine if Fushimi is only here so he can look after a certain someone who can’t look after himself. He’s a skilled mechanic, and it’s all that matters.

A familiar buzz echoes from the distance, a signal that a plane is approaching. Upon hearing the sound, there’s a flash of relief in Fushimi's expression, immediately wiped to give way to a wide smirk, leaving no trace of the sight of that future father pacing outside a delivery room.

Munakata too feels relieved, of course, because every plane that returns safely is a new victory, and every plane lost to the unforgiving sea a defeat, and he’s lost enough battles like that…

Minutes later, the engine lands without incident, and the pilot gets off the cockpit, leaving his plane to the care of the Blues, without even sparing them a look. When the crow sees Fushimi, with his smirk still firmly plastered on his face, he seems reluctant to move in his direction; he apparently didn’t take Fushimi’s change of clan very well. Still, Fushimi’s stationed at the only exit of the airfield, so Yata has no choice but to go meet him. When he arrives before Fushimi, the taller boy leans toward him and drawls, “Miisaakii, haven’t you gotten  _shorter_ while you were away?”

“How many times will I have to tell you to stop calling me like that?!" shouts Yata. "And what are you saying, anyway, you stupid Monkey, people don’t just become shorter like that!” 

“Well, sure, ordinary people don’t,” the mechanic admits. “But the pressure of landings and takeoffs, and your stupid brain… maybe they all contributed to make it happen.”

“Haaaah? What does my brain have to do with that?!” the crow exclaims, and Munakata, who can hear their conversation, thinks that he is right, but still finds it amusing that he seems to find it normal that ‘stupid’ has been appended to his brain…

Yata shakes his head and continues, “I think you’re losing it, Monkey.” He then takes a closer look at his former comrade, “And you, haven’t you become paler, now?”

“Tsk, how should I know…”

“You’re totally paler, Saru,” the redhead insists. “That’s what you get from staying indoors too much. Serves you right for leaving HOMRA! You’ll end up as white as a ghost at this rate, I tell ya!”

“White as a ghost?” Fushimi snorts, “Then maybe I should do just that so I could scare you like the poltroon you are~. Because you’re afraid of ghosts, eh, Miisaakii?”

“You won’t say that when you’re so sick you can’t even get out of bed!” Yata protests, ignoring Fushimi’s implication of him being a coward. “And I bet you’re still having that shitty diet of yours, aren’t you, Monkey?”

“What I eat is none of your business, stupid,” the other teen answers with a scowl.

“Well, I hate to admit it but you took pretty good care of my plane the other day, so I owe you one. And in return, I’ll treat you some real food, Monkey, don’t thank me.” And as he says this, he drags Fushimi out of the facility.

“Hah? I don’t need your gratitude, you idiot,” the Blue mumbles, but follows him anyway.

Munakata watches them walk away and thinks that people have indeed various ways of showing their concern, and those two have particularly curious ones. But as long as it works, somehow, Munakata won’t complain. Happy subordinates are effective subordinates, so really, it works well for him.

Munakata returns to his office after that one successful outcome. There’s still about an hour before the next plane arrives, and if nothing happens, he is intending to use that time doing some puzzles. The day has been full of anguish and he feels like he could use some distraction now.

His hopes are deceived, though, when he finds his second-in-command, Awashima Seri, waiting for him in his office. It’s not that he dislikes her company or anything, but it’s just that he knows that she never personally comes unless something serious has happened. He can’t help swallowing a little before speaking, “What are your reports, Awashima-kun?”

“Sir,” she starts after saluting, “I came to inform you that Suoh Mikoto’s plane is going to be delayed by about an hour.”

At the word ‘delayed’, Munakata lets out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. Delays, even if they strain even further their schedule which is already hard enough to handle as it is, are still victories in their own way. The shipment still reaches its destination, and the pilot still gets to come back alive. “Is that so… And what is the reason for that contretemps?” he asks after a moment, but finds that it doesn’t really matter as long as the plane eventually arrives.

“It seems that the pilot had to delay his departure because of strong winds.”

“I see." It's a quite common occurence, actually. "But you didn’t need to bother personally giving me that information, you know?”

She then looks at Munakata and answers, “I just thought that maybe you would want to know. Aboard this plane are important things after all.”

While Munakata considers that, indeed, the shipment in that one plane is particularly important, by Awashima’s gaze, he has the impression that it’s _not_ what she’s talking about. He doesn’t dwell on the thought though, and thanks Awashima for coming to inform him.

Before the blonde leaves, Munakata tells her, “I shall handle the rest for tonight, Awashima-kun, so you can go home now. Transmit my salutations to Kusanagi-kun, he hasn’t been around for a while.”

She blushes at that last part and barely manages to salute him before exiting the room hurriedly.

Munakata smiles, thinking that it’s good to know that there are reds and blues who are able to get along. If everyone could be like these two, it would surely improve the performances of both parties and he decides that he'll organize an event that would ease that reconciliation. He then settles on his desk to finally give some attention to his puzzles.

After several moments, he finds that he isn’t able to concentrate, always glances outside the window tapping on the table with a piece of his puzzle, on the lookout for any movement in the sky. When he realizes what he is doing, he thinks about Fushimi earlier, when he had been waiting for Yata’s plane. Then he recalls how Awashima sounded like she wasn’t talking about the cargo when she mentioned the _important_ things in the plane… 

A sound, the purring of a motor doesn't let him make the connection between these two thoughts. He immediately breathes a sigh of relief at the sound, gets up and moves to meet the newcomer.

He's smiling, on the way. He makes the review of this long day: two victories, _zero defeats_ , and prays the gods that every coming day could be like today...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm so sorry this took so long orz  
> This said, enjoy!

During his flights, Suoh Mikoto has developped the habit of thinking about the past, because what else can you do when alone in the sky? It is this tranquility and relative idleness that makes him like this job so much, along with the impression of freedom that flying gives.

But alas, such times do not always bring back good memories; painful ones too.

* * *

It’s been almost a year now since the day Totsuka died in that accident. It was painfully ironic, really, because at that time, the war had just ended, and the Air Forces had been assigned to the transporting of strategic goods, a much less dangerous deed than that of a bomber’s or a scout’s.

He was flying a prototype plane, and that was when things went wrong. As the investigation went by, it was found out that the plane had been sabotaged.

The researcher who had elaborated the new engine, a certain Isana, then accused the slackness of the surveillance of the facilities.

It was true that the security level had been reduced after things settled down when peace was established. Still, it was unlikely for any unauthorized person to having been able to access the hangars; Suoh always calls Munakata a stuck-up but his stubbornness to stick to drastic rules when it comes to the equipment ensured as much.

This naturally drew the suspicions on the researcher himself, since no one could have touched the plane after him. Besides, the guy had a motive: Munakata had rejected some of his engines, deeming the weapons too brutal. Munakata wasn’t one to tolerate a victory gained without honor, a value that all the men under him shared (and it was probably the only thing he and Munakata agreed with, then) Isana, took the rejection as a personal offense and had begrudged Munakata since then. The blow of a pilot's death was a perfect occasion to ruin Munakata’s reputation.

When proof confirming the scientist’s guilt was established and an arrest warrant was issued against him, Isana took to his heels but several men were sent in his pursuit.

However, even with the warrant and the number of men sent after him, there still reigned an atmosphere of unease among the pilots -and even the Blues, actually. Isana’s actions were tantamount to high treason, and should therefore have been punished with death. But the man was an excellent researcher, an irreplaceable one, even, so there was little doubt that the higher-ups, to keep him, would make for a much lighter sentence, and the unit found that unacceptable.

Suoh, more than anyone else couldn’t accept the situation. He felt that part of Totsuka’s death was his fault because the guy had joined the forces to follow Suoh after he’d heard about his exploits. But Totsuka wasn’t made for this life; he was too soft, too naïve to enter the armed forces. Suoh and Kusanagi had always known that, and they’d warned him when he talked about swelling their ranks, but to no avail. He’d insisted that it would be fine, that he wanted to serve his country just like Suoh.

He learned later that Totsuka wasn’t the only one who’d joined after hearing of his prowess; Yata and Fushimi too, and if he had known earlier, he’d have told them that if it was glory they sought, it wasn’t worth throwing their lives away in a meaningless cause such as war.

But it was exactly what Totsuka did in the end, and it was Suoh’s fault for not being able to convince him, so he felt it was his duty to personally make sure that the bastard who killed him would pay with his _life._

During his quest for vengeance, fate had served him well -as if it approved of his actions- so he managed to find Isana first. The ensuing fight hadn't lasted long and he was still gazing at the murderer’s corpse when the men charged of Isana’s arrest found him, subsequently making them switch their target to Suoh for taking the law into his own hands.

Suoh had known that it would have come to that when he’d decided to chase after the guy, he’d known that it was martial court he risked but he _had_ to do it, and was prepared for the worst.

What he didn’t expect when he returned to the base was to have _Munakata_ cover for him.

“I ordered him to go after the culprit and bring him back, _dead_ or alive,” he’d said. “So I’ll take full responsibility for this.”

Suoh was astonished when he heard that. Out of all people, Munakata was the last person he thought he'd find in his camp; they were far from being friends. Munakata despised Suoh for his sluggishness and his repeated irresponsible actions during his missions (even if these were the very reasons for his remarkable success); Suoh on the other hand found Munakata’s attachment to decorum and his too rigid leadership annoying to no end and neither ever bothered to hide this animosity to the other.

Suoh therefore wanted to say something when Munakata took his defense, but Munakata shoot him a glare that was clearly meant to compel him to silence until the other agents had left the room after freeing him first.

When they were alone, Suoh finally asked for an explanation, “You do realize you’re risking big for that little heroic action of yours?”

It wasn’t Suoh’s intention then to show ingratitude to Munakata, he just really couldn’t see why Munakata had done such a thing. While it was Munakata's right to initiate this chase as both the culprit and the victim were under his supervision, the superiors wouldn’t easily forgive the death of their precious scientist, so Munakata was clearly compromising his chances of ascension there.

“I fail to see where the heroism in that action lays,” Munakata merely replied. “And just so you know, I didn’t do it for you.”

The thought never crossed Suoh's mind, actually. There was no sort of sympathy between them, then, and Munakata was too impartial, anyway to do that for the sake of any individual. Suoh didn’t reply anything, but still gave Munakata a questioning look that the latter met with an unreadable one.

After a while of scrutinizing each other, Munakata finally spoke, “It may be hard to believe but I think you did the right thing there. If Isana Yashiro had been caught by those men instead of you, he would have never received the fair retribution to his crimes. The law states that the punishment for such treason is death, but you and I know that the higher-ups would have gotten around the law to preserve their asset. So what you did was the only way to do justice to Totsuka Tatara.”

Munakata paused at that, but Suoh still didn’t say anything so he continued, “And you said I’m putting my career at risk by covering for your action, but what kind of leader would I be if I let my men pay for something I approve of, anyway? You did the exact same thing when you went and executed that man, so I believe you can understand that.”

With that, Munakata walked past Suoh and left him appalled by Munakata’s revelation. It was then that he realized that, however differently they acted, they still felt the same sort of responsibility toward the men who followed them...

* * *

Suoh is at this point of his reminiscences when he hears the radio tell him that he is allowed to land and indeed, he can now see the landing strip. There’s a warm feeling building in his chest then, at the thought of coming home after days of absence as he executes the all too familiar manipulations to bring his plane to the ground.

Among the people who were waiting for his arrival, he can see Munakata and surprisingly, the guy looks almost happy to see him.

“You’re late,” he says by way of greeting.

...Yes, _almost_ happy. Suoh was a fool for hoping to hear him say something like “Welcome back,” or any friendly salutation, really. Munakata is Munakata, his annoying stuck-up supervisor, and there is nothing to be done about that. Suoh sighs and answers, “If you've checked your information properly, you should know that I had to delay my departure.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re late. And rules say that pilots must respect the flight schedules.”

 _There we go again,_ Suoh thinks, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable argument. “Fuck the rules,” he retorts, “you should be happy I arrived during the night, I could have not arrived at all, the sky still looked pretty bad when I took off.”

“You can ‘fuck’ the rules if you want,” Munakata says (and Suoh can’t help the amused grin on his face as he sees that Munakata almost _spat_ the offending word like it physically hurt him), “but you still have your late penalties and a report to write about it.”

“So what should have I done, then?” Suoh asks, curious to hear what clever answer Munakata will find.

“You should have arrived on time,” he deadpans.

“It was impossible.”

“I know,” Munakata admits with a bitter smile. “But you should have tried.”

Suoh finally realizes that it’s only another of Munakata’s torments that he’s pouring on Suoh. A torment about rules that he knows are at times unfair but are necessary for the unit to run smoothly. _This conversation is getting nowhere_ , Suoh concludes internally, and it is equally annoying for the two of them so he lets out a second sigh and puts a hand on Munakata’s shoulder, taking his leave, “If you’ll excuse me, I have a report to write, then.”

“Make sure you’re not late _again_ tomorrow, because then you’ll have no excuse,” Munakata says with a paradoxally grateful look.

Suoh breathes a hollow laugh and with a hand waving Munakata good night, “I won’t give you the pleasure of making me write two reports.”

When he enters Bar HOMRA, he sees Awashima at the counter, sipping a suspicious looking purple drink with Kusanagi looking at her with a funny disgusted smile.

 _Some people sure are carefree,_ Suoh thinks when he sees the pair. Kusanagi has quit the job of pilot to come back to his previous occupation before the war started to be able to take care of a young girl left to their care, Anna, and he certainly looks happier now. Awashima too, actually; she no longer has that worried expression she'd always wear when Kusanagi was on a mission back then.

Neither of them seems to have noticed Suoh’s entrance so Suoh coughs to attract their attention. Awashima looks back and when she sees him, greets him with a nod, and Kusanagi with a cheerful grin, “Ah, Mikoto, welcome back! How was your flight?”

“Fine. But Munakata gave me a report to write for one damn hour of delay,” Suoh says in an annoyed tone.

The barman just laughs at this, “The boss ain't going easy on you, eh? Well then, we won’t keep you any longer.”

Suoh takes his leave and heads to his room to write the goddman report, but not intending to spend more time than necessary on it ( _less_ than necessary is what he actually gives it, but Munakata can’t be waiting for more from him anyway, he thinks)

When he’s done, he thinks about getting a drink at the bar but doesn’t feel like playing Kusanagi and Awashima's chaperon.

He settles for going to another bar instead and when he sees Munakata inside, he is less surprised to find him here (since Suoh knows he comes here often) than to feel that warm feeling in his chest again at the sight of Munakata.

Since Totsuka’s incident, traces of animosity between him and Munakata had slowly faded. They’d become able to hold _relatively_ civil conversations on their impromptu but ironically frequent meetings on public places, unlike before when they’d ignore each other(but never leaving the place, they were too proud -or stubborn- to do that pleasure to the other). As they came to understand each other’s situation better, they learned that they didn’t need to put on facades around each other outside of work, so they started to seek the other’s company. After a particularly drunken night, it even turned into a physical relationship that quickly became nearly as regular as their meetings, as they mutually decided that such a relationship was practical for them. Suoh knows Munakata is an extravagant sadist with a tendency for blabbering, Munakata on the other hand knows Suoh is a barbarian with no regards for appearances, so they have no delusions about each other, and do not have to hide anything either. A perfect situation for casual sex buddies.

When Suoh sees Munakata at that bar, he thinks it’s his chance. He hasn’t had any since he started his current mission, and its next part should last another week, so this occasion is god-sent, truly. He makes his way to sit next to Munakata who still hasn't seen him come in.

"Same as this guy's," Suoh orders to the barman, pointing at Munakata with a movement of his head.

At hearing Suoh's voice, Munakata lets a slight twitch of brows escape his usually imperturbable composure. With a long-suffering sigh and a side glance, "And here I was having a very nice evening... Why did you have to come here and ruin it?"

"I have the right to come here if I want. I believe you don't own this bar, Munakata."

"No, I don't. But I recall _you_ do live in a bar, so I fail to see why you would come here to have a drink, unless to purposely bother me."

"Don't get too full of yourself _._ The heartless woman is there with Kusanagi. Just didn't feel like playing the third-heel."

Munakata just gives him a "Oh" as a reply, and his experience serving, Suoh knows that when Munakata doesn't demonstrate his usual volubility, it means that he's quite drunk already. He smirks, because this will make his seduction scheme much easier. "Munakata," he calls.

"Hum?" the other replies abstenly, staring at his half-emptied glass.

"If you really don't like me here, there's a way to make me leave in an instant."

Still not looking at Suoh, "And what would that be?"

Suoh leans in to whisper at Munakata's ear, "Well, it all depends on you. You could invite me to your place and we'd continue this um... _discussion_ there."

Munakata finally turns to look at him, and their faces are really close now. He can feel people staring, but neither he or Munakata seem to care. Munakata takes a moment before saying haughtily, "Still lacking subtlety in your speech, as always, huh, Suoh Mikoto?"

"No news for you there, " Suoh replies, witholding Munakata's look. "So?"

Munakata finishes his drink in one gulp. As he stands, obviously to take his leave, Suoh is already celebrating victory in his mind.

"Fine," the bluenette says. "But since I'm _inviting_ you to my place, it's only fair that you invite me for this turn, right?"

It's Suoh's turn to give a look of surprise at that, quickly followed by a laugh and he pays heartily. _What a sly bastard,_ he thinks but he reasons that the night promises to be a lot of _fun_ anyway, so he actually gains on the exchange, really.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know what's going to happen on the next chapter, right? *winks*


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> ... ... ... I know, I'm late *again* orz

On the way to Munakata’s apartment, neither of them speaks, but the silence isn’t uncomfortable. Talking isn’t exactly in their habits, after all, not when Munakata has nothing to reproach Suoh, and Suoh’s doing nothing to annoy him at the moment. Not that he isn’t tempted to. An annoyed Munakata in bed tends to show a lot less restraint and is thus a lot more fun to deal with.

For now, though, Suoh is holding back, because they’re in public and if he does anything, Munakata’ll complain about Suoh ruining his image (as if being seen drunk in a bar was good for his image, anyway, but Suoh’ll never understand Munakata’s reasoning) Munakata would send him home for that stupid reason, and that’ll result in no fun _at all_.

When they enter the apartment building, out of prying eyes, Suoh gives in to the temptation and loops an arm around Munakata’s shoulders, smirking. As expected, Munakata brushes his arm off. “Don’t just use people to support your drunken gait,” he snaps and Suoh huffs.

“You’re the most wasted one here,” he teases.

“I’m doing very well, thank you,” is what Munakata protests and he speeds up his pace.

Suoh follows but doesn’t add anything. _That’ll be enough,_ he thinks and when they get inside the apartment, Suoh only has time to remove his shoes then Munakata’s already forcibly pinning him to the front door from behind.

Suoh smirks, “So impatient.”

Munakata apparently intends to do it here, in the entryway. That’s definitely an imprudent thing to do, provided that someone who passes by might hear them from outside. Not that _Suoh_ minds, really. He’s not the one who’s worried about his public image, after all, and it’s not even _his_ apartment. He won’t be confronted to the neighbors’ impish eyes every day, so if anything, Munakata’s shooting himself in the foot here. He’s about to warn Munakata but the sadist is now carelessly tugging at his uniform jacket with enough force to tear the material. So instead of his initial considerate intention, Suoh says, “And _I_ ’m the barbarian,” but Munakata’s apparently not in the mood for bickering now, so Suoh obligingly helps him remove the jacket.

When it’s finally off, he feels Munakata’s mouth –rather, his teeth, on his nape while Munakata’s hands roam over his chest then over his hips before finally unbuckling his belt. With one hand still at Suoh’s hips and his teeth still at his neck, he sneaks his other hand into Suoh’s boxers to take hold of his cock and stroke him to full hardness. The bite doesn’t really hurt; even feels rather pleasurable, especially with Munakata’s hand working on his lower-half, so he hums his contentment and leans his head against the wall.

He vaguely feels the hand that was keeping him steady leave his hips, then he hears a ruffle of clothes, then a metallic sound –probably Munakata’s belt buckle, and his hand’s on Suoh’s hips again, tugging him backward and Suoh can feel Munakata’s hard-on against his ass despite of the fabric of Munakata’s boxers. Suoh grins and presses harder against Munakata, which earns him a harsh breath from his partner.

He prompts Munakata to get rid of the boxers, too, by reaching behind him to pull at the hem. Munakata complies, and when he presses back again, the sensation of skin against skin makes Suoh’s arousal rise even further. Munakata starts thrusting between Suoh’s thighs, his cock brushing against his perineum while his hand keeps on stroking Suoh’s shaft and hell, it feels wonderful. Suoh brings his thighs together to increase the friction, making Munakata moan and speed up his thrusts. As Munakata’s pleasure escalates, he seems more and more oblivious of Suoh’s because his grip on Suoh’s cock loosens and he becomes less generous in his strokes. Suoh, though, is too busy reveling at the lewd sounds Munakata’s making against his ear to complain about that, feeling a strange sense of pride and an incredible arousal at being able to witness the ever pristine Munakata lose all sense of refinement like that. It’s not until Munakata climaxes with another bite to his neck that Suoh remembers his own erection and he grunts his protest when Munakata’s hand leaves his rock-hard cock to rest his two hands  on Suoh’s hips as he steadies his breathing for a moment.

Munakata laughs against his shoulder and Suoh realizes that maybe Munakata wasn’t neglecting him because he was too lost in his pleasure but was doing it _on purpose_. He groans an annoyed “Munakata,” to which Munakata replies, “That’ll teach you.”

Suoh wants to object to that but then Munakata’s kissing his shoulder and is flipping him around so it’s his back now, leaning on the door. Munakata gets on his knees, looking up at Suoh, smirking, and he licks his lips. Suoh immediately forgets about his irritation, attention drawn to Munakata’s lips as they close around his tip. Despite having his mouth full, Suoh can tell Munakata’s still smirking, and Suoh finds himself unable to return it despite wanting to. He’s aware that his expression now resembles more a grimace than a grin as Munakata takes more of his length and starts alternately sucking and licking. Suoh swallows hard, fighting the urge to thrust and he brings a hand to Munakata’s hair, just to have something to grip to. Munakata doesn’t seem to mind and his fingers are now fondling Suoh’s balls. Suoh knows he’s getting close, and Munakata, too, can feel it, so he focuses back on the tip of his cock. When Suoh finally comes, Munakata pulls back and uses his hand to spend Suoh completely before falling back to sit on the entryway’s wooden step when Suoh collapses on the floor. Their eyes are still locked on each other’s and Suoh’s finally able to smirk back at Munakata.

As his eyes wander down to Munakata’s chest, then abdomen, he can see that Munakata’s half-hard now, making his smirk grow wider. “So sucking me off was turning you on, huh? I’m flattered, Munakata.”

Munakata doesn’t seem embarrassed in the least, and with a grin as wide as Suoh’s, “Well, it was quite alluring, you looked so… _docile_ under my touch, after all.”

Suoh laughs at that. Of course the sadistic bastard would say that. Munakata loves dominating other people -or is it just Suoh? But he’s not the only one there, and he’s had enough fun as it is, so it’s Suoh’s turn now. He crawls to Munakata, “Surely not as alluring as _you_ look when you’re writhing under me, though.”

Suoh puts his hands on either side of Munakata’s shoulders and pushes him down onto the floor. He starts sucking at Munakata’s collarbone while his hand reaches Munakata’s thigh to lift it but then Munakata interrupts him. Suoh gives him a questioning look. “Not here,” Munakata comments.

“Thought you had no problem doing it in the entryway,” Suoh says, teasing.

Munakata frowns, “What makes you think that?”

“Who was pinning me against the front door just earlier?”

“This and that are two different matters,” he explains.

“Because then it was me who was pinned and now it’s you, is that it?” Suoh asks with a quirked brow.

Munakata huffs and after a moment, “Exactly,” not really meaning it but still-

“How very selfish of you, Captain Munakata Reisi,” Suoh says with a (fake) hurt pout.

The comment has the expected effect on Munakata who looks a bit repentant now. Suoh knows that Munakata hates hearing any reminder of his vices and his supposed-to-be flawless title in the same sentence, knows that it makes him feel guilty. So when Suoh lifts him to take him to the bedroom, Munakata lets himself being carried obligingly –obediently, even. Usually, Munakata would never let Suoh carry him like that, protesting that he’s not a bride or something. _Who’s being docile now,_ Suoh thinks with a self-satisfied smile that he tries to hide by nibbling at Munakata’s earlobe. Just like Munakata knows what strings to pull to get what he wants from Suoh, so does Suoh with Munakata. These months of frequent meetings ensured as much and they both take advantage of that fact as often as they can.

When they reach the bed, he puts Munakata down and they proceed to take off whatever clothes they hadn’t removed yet when they came in. When they’re fully naked, Suoh resumes his work on Munakata’s collarbone, adding another mark next to the one he’s already left and intending to leave as many as he can. That’s a payback to the bites Munakata gave him earlier because he’s sure these are going to stay for days (though he doesn't mind at all)

His hand’s now on Munakata’s cock, stroking the base with a teasingly light touch. Munakata bucks his hips to induce him to go harder but Suoh’s not listening. He looks up at Munakata who is visibly annoyed now. “Get on with it,” he snaps and Suoh grins at him.

“With what?” he asks, playing dumb, but at Munakata’s scowl, he can tell that the guy would have no remorse throwing him out without even his clothes if he teases any further, so he drops it and asks, “Lube?”

Munakata points at his nightstand drawer and Suoh stretches his hand to take the bottle. He uncaps it and pours a generous amount on his fingers. Munakata puts his legs on either side of Suoh’s hips to give him more room and Suoh leans to attack Munakata’s throat now while his index finger circles Munakata’s entrance for a moment and then he inserts it, but not too deeply yet. Munakata’s breath hitches so Suoh gives him some time to get more comfortable before moving his finger. He starts making back-and-forth motions then adds a second finger. He's now alternating between stretching and thrusting and when he finds his prostate, he crooks them, too, and Munakata gives a choked moan.

He’s about to insert a third finger, but Munakata stops him. “That’ll do,” he says and Suoh doesn’t need to be told twice. He slicks his cock and enters Munakata slowly. He can feel Munakata’s body tense but Munakata’s legs tightening around his hips tell him not to stop so he doesn’t until he’s buried to the hilt. There, he pauses until Munakata’s body adjusts the intrusion then starts moving, slowly at first. Munakata voices an appreciative sound so Suoh moves faster. Then Munakata’s fingers which were gripping his shoulders are digging on his back and Suoh knows these are going to leave bruises, but who cares now, he reaches one hand down to stroke Munakata’s cock in rhythm with his thrusts. Munakata’s hips try to meet his pace and his moans become louder. Suoh, too, is distantly aware that he’s moaning as well, but he – _they’re_ both too lost now to notice or even mind that, too busy trying to reach their completion.

Munakata comes first, immediately followed by Suoh who doesn’t stop his ministrations until he’s sure they’re both completely spent. He doesn’t pull out at once, trying to catch his breath and then he presses his forehead against Munakata’s, smiling contentedly. Munakata smiles back at him, and damn if he doesn’t look adorable now with any arrogance wiped. Munakata leans to take Suoh’s lower lip between his teeth and starts nibbling and sucking at it lazily. Suoh lets him and when he pulls back, Suoh gives him a quick peck on the lips before flopping next to him to sleep.

As he’s about to drift off, he hears Munakata sit up and face away at the window. The night's very clear and the light reflecting on Munakata’s alabaster skin makes it glow even more like the moon. _Flawless,_ Suoh finds himself thinking, even with the red and dark marks at some spots on his back. The darker marks are from their previous fling, and Suoh can still remember how he left them. The memory makes him smirk. It’s a bit surprising, though, how much time these marks take to disappear. He feels a sense of guilt for that, mingled with the urge to carve new marks but he shakes his head, trying to chase these thoughts –especially the last one.

Munakata looks very pensive, even seen from behind, and he starts a bit when he feels arms wrap around his waist and a chin rest on his shoulder. When he recognizes Suoh, though, he instinctively leans his head back against Suoh’s and says softly, “You should be sleeping. You have a flight tomorrow.”

“And you, too,” Suoh counters.

“I don’t have a flight, though,” Munakata says with an impish smile.

Suoh clicks his tongue, “That’s not what I meant, you idiot.”

Munakata laughs, “I know.” After a pause, he explains, “I was thinking that the sky’s beautiful tonight.”

Suoh looks outside and indeed, it’s full of stars. After a short pause, Munakata continues, “You should have a favorable weather for your flight.”

Suoh’s a little taken aback by the comment. He didn’t think that Munakata would worry so much about his flying conditions. Or well, he supposes that as his superior, he would, it’s just that Suoh’s surprised by the melancholic tone in which Munakata said that.

With deeper consideration, Suoh finds that something’s a bit odd with Munakata tonight. It hadn't stricken Suoh at first, but now he realizes that even the fact of meeting Munakata at that bar was weird enough, as Munakata doesn’t usually go for drinks on nights before a work day. Suoh wonders if there’s something unusual that’s happened to him and then it hits him. He presses his lips on Munakata’s cheek and says, “A year tomorrow, huh.”

Munakata’s answer intuits him that his assumption was right, “Yes. A year since the biggest failure in my career.”

“It wasn’t your fault, you know,” Suoh reassures him.

Munakata turns to meet his eyes, “And neither was it yours.”

Suoh will have trouble believing that, but he understands that the perfectionist Munakata is would feel that it was _his_ responsibility, not Suoh's. Even if neither of them was actually to blame for what’s happened, that common feeling of guilt is part of what drew them to each other. To lighten the atmosphere, Suoh voices that last thought, “At least it’s allowed us to become like this, right?”

“But was it worth losing a companion?” Munakata says bitterly.

“...You’re right.” Of course it wasn’t, he knows that, but Suoh can’t help but ponder on what he’d had missed if he and Munakata had stayed on their hostile feelings toward each other.

He doesn’t want to dwell on that thought, so he decides to change the subject altogether, “You talked about not having a flight earlier.”

Munakata doesn’t seem to follow him, “Yes?”

“You ever dreamed of becoming a pilot?” Suoh inquires.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Munakata admits.

“But aren’t you curious about flying, though?”

“Well, I’m not opposed to the idea.”

“So why don’t you come with me some day?” Suoh offers. “On a short flight, of course. I know you’re a stuck-up workaholic,” he teases.

“Hm. Why not?” Munakata says, ignoring Suoh’s rib.

“Its’ settled, then,” Suoh concludes, smiling, and he gives in to the urge of biting Munakata’s neck, making the latter give a tiny sound of surprise. Suoh then unwinds his arms from Munakata’s waist to run his hands on Munakata’s chest, fingers teasing Munakata’s nipples as he keeps sucking on his neck and throat.

“Suoh… ” Munakata warns him feebly but Suoh just hums in response, tugging Munakata onto his lap. Munakata sighs. “Insatiable,” he scolds, but he relents nonetheless, bringing a hand up to run his fingers through Suoh’s hair.

Suoh smirks, “But so are you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to bury myself in a hole right now (but don't worry, I'll still write the next chapter... in that hole *w*)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Happy New Year, lovely people, here's (finally) the new chap for you! Enjoy!

Munakata wakes before Suoh, which isn’t really surprising since the pilot’s just had several hours of flight the day before and anyway, the man would just sleep all day if he could. Usually, Munakata wouldn’t really mind, he’s now beyond questioning Suoh’s laziness or general barbarism, but his arms are  _wrapped_ around him and he can’t get up.

He dismisses the temptation to unceremoniously push his bedmate away to wake him given that said bedmate has to take-off later and he, well… hasn’t really been able to get  _much rest_ last night. Even if Suoh’s mainly the one to blame for that – _he_ ’s the one who tried to seduceMunakata, after all, but whether Munakata likes it or not, part of it is Munakata’s responsibility as well for accepting the invitation.

Munakata’s only option is then to try and squirm out of Suoh’s embrace as delicately as he can so he doesn’t wake Suoh – _that_  or staying there until Suoh  _does_  wake, but he may have to wait for  _long_  before that happens, and there’s something awkward anyway about just watching Suoh sleep there, so Munakata has to settle for the first plan.

He somehow manages not to wake Suoh, thanking Suoh’s heavy slumber for that. He directly heads to the bathroom and when he’s done getting washed and lamenting about the marks on his body, he proceeds to gather their clothes. Finding them scattered even at his front door makes Munakata reflect that alcohol really has terrible effects on him, but he knows deep inside that things like this are going to happen again nonetheless. He sighs at the thought and puts his things in the laundry basket and hangs Suoh’s on a chair in his room. Then, he goes to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.

Eventually, he knows the barbarian’s finally awake when he hears water running in the bathroom. When the sound stops, it’s not long before Suoh steps in the kitchen and says, “Didn’t notice you get up.”

“You wouldn’t have noticed a truck razing the building in your state.” Munakata doesn’t really want to start an argument so early in the morning, but he wants even  _less_ to tell Suoh that it’s because he’d been extra-careful not to wake him. He really doesn’t feel like stroking Suoh’s ego right now –or  _ever,_ for that matter. Fortunately, Suoh doesn’t feel like arguing either and ignores the comment. “’m starving,” he declares instead.

Before Munakata can tell him that he’ll have to wait or get out of here before he eats, Suoh turns him around and pulls his hips towards Suoh’s. At the sight of Suoh’s face, Munakata finds that he doesn’t like the cocky expression Suoh’s making, with something like a predatory glint in it. He has no time to ask what’s up because Suoh curtly leans in to capture his lips in a searing kiss. The sudden move makes Munakata give a tiny sound of surprise and Suoh seizes that opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Munakata’s confused because they hardly ever kiss, except during sex. He’s somehow conscious that maybe  _that’s_  what Suoh wants with how he grinds his hips against Munakata’s, conscious that they definitely have no time for another round. However, his body seems unable to process what his brain’s telling to it, the taste of nicotine in Suoh’s tongue -and probably the arousal caused by the grinding, too- clouding his mind so he feverishly gives in to the kiss and presses their bodies closer.

Luckily for him, Suoh unexpectedly proves to possess  _some_ maturity and eventually breaks the kiss. ‘ _Some_  maturity’ however turns out to be really  _a little_  of it since he’s looking annoyingly smug now. He licks his lips and says, “Thanks for the meal.”

Obviously unhappy to be assimilated to  _food_ , Munakata calls Suoh an anthropophagous barbarian, which only makes him laugh at Munakata’s pompous vocabulary. What  _doesn’t_  make him laugh, though, is the  _actual_  food that has burnt during their making out because apparently he really was  _literally_  hungry when he’d said he was starving. Munakata considers letting him there since he’s said he’s had his ‘ _meal’_  anyway but still agrees to prepare another breakfast, not wanting to send his pilot flying with an empty stomach and take the risk to have him collapse inside his plane.

When they’re ready to leave the appartment, Munakata allows Suoh to head home before going to work since he’d arrived too late to see Anna last night. Munakata goes to his office directly and checks the flights schedules and weather forecasts for today. He then takes a walk in the basement to check if everything’s fine and from outside a hangar, he sees Fushimi and Yata engaged in a lively conversation. The debate, from what Munakata overhears is about Yata’s (lack of) skills in planes mechanics and some kind of bet to prove that point. Munakata doesn’t linger trying to listen to them, having tried in the first place because Yata isn’t supposed to be on duty today so he’d thought that maybe they were talking about something serious. But nothing’s ever really serious between these two, it turns out.

As he heads to the airfield, it occurs to him that the two teens have been bickering like that since yesterday and when he is thinking that he wouldn’t be able to talk like that with Suoh without getting some terrible headache, he sees the red hair in person walk toward him with a somewhat uneasy expression. Munakata can tell it’s his nicotine-deprived expression so he shakes his head with an exasperated smile and pulls two cigarettes from his pocket. He hands one to Suoh who thanks him and flares it immediately. Munakata lights his directly with Suoh’s, keeping the ends connected for longer than necessary –his way to return Suoh’s kiss from earlier.  _A quite literal manner of breathing toxic air,_  he thinks to himself as he pulls out and exhales the smoke invading his lungs.

“I’m glad to see that you aren’t late,” he says as a welcome.

“Told you you wouldn’t make me write two reports, right?”

Munakata sighs, “Your motivations will never cease to amaze me.”

“That’s the only motivation my boss gives me,” Suoh says teasingly.

Munakata doesn’t reply, just huffs and they stand there smoking for a moment, both observing the cloudless sky in silence.

After a while, Suoh speaks, “So when’s our flight for?”

Munakata doesn’t understand, “ _Our_ flight?”

“Said you’d come flying with me someday last night, remember?” Suoh reminds him.

 _Oh, that._ Munakata’d thought it was just idle talk. “So you were serious about that?”

“Of course,” Suoh states as if it was  _obvious_.

Except it  _wasn’t_. Suoh being serious about anything is a rare thing -a similarity he shares with certain two teens who’d joined to follow him. Still, Munakata really has no objection to the proposition, thinks it might even be edifying on many levels, if only to understand HOMRA’s pilots better so he says, “Just complete this current mission, it’s time, and we’ll decide on a date when you come back.”

“So it’s a promise, then?” Suoh asks beaming, taking one last drag of his cigarette then throwing it.

“As long as it gives you another motivation,” Munakata says, returning his smile. Munakata watches him head to his plane and doesn’t come back to his office until the plane’s gone out of sight.

* * *

 

Munakata spends the rest of his day reading reports and giving instructions. Today’s a rather calm day since apart from Suoh’s, there is no other flight scheduled. When he’s done with his paperwork, he goes for another tour around the basement at evening. Nobody talks about Totsuka, but the atmosphere in the workplace is heavier so it’s obvious his death is on everybody’s mind. Despite his attachment to public ceremonies, Munakata doesn’t bring up the subject. Some anniversaries just can’t be commemorated aloud, you just have to move on and work hard to improve things and make sure nothing of the likes happens again.

He is interrupted during his walk by Awashima who hurriedly calls him, “Captain, there are news about Suoh Mikoto’s flight from the radio, I think you should go there.”

She doesn’t add anything, but Munakata can tell from her tone that it’s probably not good news. He feels a pang in his chest at the idea and immediately hurries to the radios’ room. There, the responsible of the communications with the pilots that night, Akiyama Himori, reports the situation to him. “Sir,” he says, “Suoh Mikoto has just told us that there’s a storm that’s came toward his plane.”

“What? But how come it wasn’t in today’s weather previsions?” Munakata just can’t believe what he’s hearing, can’t believe that the responsible of the forecasts were incompetent or distracted enough not to report such essential information when there are human lives on the stake.

“I have already asked the station,” explains Akiyama, “and apparently it’s not the season for this kind of storm so they form too unpredictably for our current materials to detect.”

 _So this is fatality, then,_ Munakata concludes in his mind. He’s never been a superstitious man, but it feels like such a tragic event occurring on this very day has some hidden meaning. “How far is he from the nearest airport now?” he asks, with still some hopes for Suoh to land safely.

“The nearby airports must be inoperational now,” Akiyama answers grimly. “The pilot has taken some altitude and is now flying above the storm, but he only has about ten hours of fuel left.”

Which means that even if he is “safe” now, he’ll eventually fall into that storm once he runs out of carburant. So Munakata’ll just have to wait there, powerless, until the ineluctable comes. Munakata thinks that if Suoh’s above the turbulence, they still could talk through radio, but what could Munakata say anyway? Talk about the ‘weather’? That would be so out of place. Say that he’s sorry he’s sent Suoh in this fatal storm? That would be a pointless and too painful conversation. Or just say goodbye? He doesn’t think he’d have the courage to say that now, so he decides against it and returns to his office.

On his way there, he looks at the sky above him, which is still as clear as it was this morning, and instead of the reassuring feeling it gave then, now it’s like it’s making fun of Munakata because somewhere else, Suoh is trapped in a merciless sky.

* * *

 

Munakata refuses to go home tonight, and most of the unit, too, including Fushimi, who’s never seemed to like Suoh but now he looks as troubled as everyone. They’re all waiting for the ten fatal hours to pass in a lugubrious silence. No one brings up the subject with him, and Munakata is thankful for that, because he doesn’t trust his voice not to shake if anyone asks anything about it. So when the ten hours are through, each member handles their respective responsibilities in the same silence while Munakata reflects about this loss.

For Totsuka’s death, the criminal was one of his men, so, yes, maybe Munakata could have prevented it. But this time, he had no control over the weather or even the forecasts, but Munakata still feels an enormous amount of guilt over it.

Cutting short to his meditation, Fushimi comes in looking uneasy to give him a report recording the loss of one engine. That impersonal paper traducing the death of a man into a mere material outcome seems so surreal that Munakata has the urge to tear it. He manages to repress the temptation by taking a deep breath to calm himself down but still feels the need to at least verbally exteriorize the stormy feelings in him.

“Fushimi-kun,” he asks, “do you think we should have been able to avoid this?”

“So you’re asking me if we should have guessed that that storm would form despite the meteorologists being unable to foresee it?” The teen reformulates sarcastically, probably to explains that this was nobody’s fault.

Munakata shakes his head and says, “What I mean is that  _because_  we know that our technologies cannot foresee such events, it was a presumptuous bet to send pilots in the see at the mercy of the whims of hazard.”

“Captain, aren’t you the one who always talks about the ‘greater good’? During the war, we left pilots at the mercy of the enemy’s projectiles to protect the country. Now we leave them at the mercy of Nature to deliver essential goods to the victims of war. Suoh Mikoto is just one of the thousands of martyrs of that greater good.”

Munakata smiles bitterly, “But is it all worth it?”

The mechanic seems to hesitate before saying, “Are you asking if all those lives are worth it, or if Suoh Mikoto’s life was?”

Fushimi pauses and Munakata stares at him in shock, then the teen continues after even more hesitation, “Captain, I’ve told you before that I don’t think much of all this ‘greater good’ talk, but I know _you_ would say it _is_ worth it if your perception wasn’t clouded by personal feelings.”

The younger boy looks away awkwardly, letting Munakata reflect on what he’s just said. Munakata’s mind is flooded by all sorts of thoughts, from wondering if and how Fushimi –or anyone else but him- knows about his relationship with Suoh, to wondering if he’s right about Munakata being biased on this incident. Of course Munakata has always deplored the loss of his men, but never before has he questioned their mission, protecting the weak with their own lives, after one such loss. He realizes that this must be how the people close to the victims feel; this indignation toward a system that dooms men to death for people who might never know of their sacrifices, because that’s how Munakata feels right now. But then he reflects that as much as it hurts, here, in this basement, he is first and foremost the Captain of the unit and has no right to blame that system, should even be the first to take its defense. Suoh too knew what he was risking when he’d joined, just like Munakata when he’d decided to get personally involved with him.

After sorting out his thoughts like that, he feels somehow calmer and says, “You’re right, Fushimi-kun. It _is_ worth it, that’s why we’re still there and thus we must move on. So for now until a new pilot is recruited, we must rearrange our schedules to assign Suoh Mikoto’s flights to someone else.”

At the words “Suoh Mikoto’s flights,” Munakata vaguely recalls the promise they’d made before leaving, of Munakata flying with him someday, and how he was in fact really looking forward to it. _That’ll never happen now,_ he thinks bitterly, but it’s not the time to mourn over that, there’s a lot to take care of now, he’ll have plenty of time to grieve when he gets home, alone among the fresh memories of one year of fleeting delusions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orz  
> You can throw stones at me for the wait and everything... But please bear with me for a little longer, guys, we're nearly at the end of this story <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Um, how about we pretend it's not true that I haven't updated in forever? orz Someone tell me how to get rid of this monster called procrastination *sobs*  
> Anyway, here you go, guys. Hope you'll enjoy ^w^

When Suoh notices that a storm’s been building up, there’s nothing he can do anymore. He can neither go back nor attempt an emergency landing. The radio’s not working due to the interferences so he can’t even communicate with anyone. The storm quickly catches up to him and while he tries his bes to fight it, he knows sooner or later, he’ll eventually drown in the raging ocean.

 _So this is where it ends,_ he thinks. _How ironic, dying on this day, of all days._ One year earlier, Totsuka had died. He went on his own on a vendetta to avenge him, got arrested for a crime liable to death then got saved by Munakata. Today it’s like karma has decided to come back at him to give him the death he should have merited then. And it decided to realize its scheme on this very anniversary. _How laughable._

Strangely enough, though, Suoh finds that he has no regrets for anything. During this past year, he’s been able to spend more time with Anna and HOMRA, and there’s Munakata, too. Actually, if only for these moments, he’s grateful for the one year’s respite. Especially for Munakata because if he had died that day, he wouldn’t have got close to him and then he thinks he’d have missed out something in life.

From there on, his thoughts start wandering to random times they’d spent together. He’s still lost deep in thought when he sees a familiar light which is the same color as a certain alabaster skin from his daydreams filter through the clouds and without thinking, he pitches in that direction.

When he pierces through the clouds, he is immediately struck with awe. From this altitude, the night sky looks grandiose, lit by thousands of glittery stars and the moon crescent. It’s so breathtaking that for a moment, he forgets what situation he is in. With the layer of clouds under him, it looks exactly like a dream, and a very good one, paradoxically. To think that there’s a storm going on beneath these clouds would almost seem unbelievable –if he hadn’t just come out of it.

He then realizes that the radio should be functioning now so he should be able to contact the basement to reassure them about his situation -even though ‘reassure’ might be a cynical term to use now. When he’s given them all the details, he ends the communication. He looks back at the sky and decides to spend his last ten hours staring at it. Its sight makes him feel at peace -he isn’t even afraid of his imminent death now, and it only reminds him of good memories.

 

Morning quickly comes after a few hours spent in contemplation, and suddenly, he notices that the clouds under him are clear enough that the rays of the sun can pass through.

 _An eye?_ he wonders, full of hope. If that’s the case, then maybe he has a chance. According to his estimate, he should have flown past the ocean by now so he may find an appropriate place to land. Of course, this may not be an eye and he may pitch right into the storm, and even if it was one, he might get blown by its walls, but when he looks at his gauge, he sees that he barely has about two hours’ worth of fuel left. _At worst that’ll be two hours less of agony_ , he thinks bitterly.

He makes his decision and directs his plane downward. The miracle happens and while the winds are still a bit strong, it’s nothing he can’t cope with. He’s apparently flying above a town and in the distance, he sees a vast plain.

 _Guess I’ll have to land there,_ he decides. A proper airfield would be asking for too much, after all. He manages to land with minimal damages on his plane and when it stops, Suoh just stays in the cockpit for several moments, still not realizing what’s just happened.

He then hears voices that seem to get closer and closer to where he is. He finally gets out and the moment his foot touches land, the persons he’d heard arrive in front of him. Fortunately, they don’t look unfriendly at all; they’re probably people who saw his plane and were curious to get a closer look.

With his limited skills in English, he tries to explain his situation and to get some information from them as well. He manages to find out that he isn’t too far from his actual destination and obtains that one of the men who came will give him a ride to that city once the storm has passed. They may be in the eye of the storm, but it’s still dangerous to travel now because of the possibility of sudden particularly strong winds. That’s a few days from now, he reasons, but it’s still better than nothing…

 

When the weather’s got better, the man takes him to his destination base. After clearing out the situation with the people in charge, he makes sure that his unit in Japan receives the news of his come back. Then he confirms the arrangements for his flight back; it’s been decided that he will accompany the pilot who will fly to Japan in two days.

That couple of days seems like forever, but at last, he gets aboard the plane. The flight goes perfectly well this time and when he sees the basement, it’s just like a dream to him. From where he is, he can see a huge crowd gathered to welcome him and the few minutes that separate him from getting out of the plane seem like another eternity. When they’re close enough, he recognizes Munakata at the front line. He reminisces about that night Munakata had come to greet him last time. He smiles and whispers, “I can see this time you _really_ look happy, huh.”

 

* * *

* * *

When Munakata hears that Suoh’s alive and well, what he feels at first is incredulity, soon followed by a wave of joy and relief. But then a thought crosses his mind and clouds his euphoria; things can’t stay the same now and he and Suoh have a lot of things to settle. Actually, it’s something they should have done since the moment they’d decided to see each other regularly. Any couple that knew their future together was uncertain because of their jobs should have had already, but the thing is… they’ve never considered themselves a _couple_ , have never even brought up that subject.

So yes, they had no problem admitting they were friends, but implying that they were anything more, even to each other, has always been some sort of taboo. As a result, they’ve gone this past year not putting a name on their relationship and had they been found out and been asked, ‘lust’ would have been the closest to an honest answer they’d have given.

However, now it’s clear they can’t keep on avoiding the subject any longer. It was fine as long as it spared them from having to think about the possible outcomes and what’s more it came with the added bonus of not hurting their ego. “ _I’m not going out with that barbarian.” “Who’d date such a stuck in the mud.” ‘_ Friends with benefits’ was fine. Or so they thought. But that feeling of emptiness Munakata felt after he’d thought Suoh was dead couldn’t have been the result of losing a _friend,_ however dear that friend might have been to him. It seemed like his mind couldn’t let go of those nights with Suoh, or even those idle, relaxed mornings they’d spend before casually going back to their respective lives. They’d tried to avoid thinking about the future, but that event ruined the plan and clearly exposed what might be in store for them for the future. It’s no use looking the other way now.

While he is waiting for Suoh’s arrival with the entire unit, though, Munakata manages to suppress these thoughts and he looks just as happy as his subordinates now.

When the plane’s landed, the pilot who’s flown Suoh back to Japan gets out first. Munakata immediately goes to greet and thank him. When it’s Suoh’s turn, Munakata barely oversees him because he’s immediately surrounded by HOMRA’s pilots. Eventually, Suoh makes it out of the overexcited crowd, walks toward Munakata, then stops and stands in front of him, smiling. At first, Munakata only gives him an unbelieving look, somehow unable to trust what’s in front of him as _real_. After all, a few days ago, he’d been trying to get used to the idea of not seeing Suoh anymore, and now--

“Don’t just stare at me like I’m a ghost or something,” Suoh says amusedly.

Hearing Suoh’s voice momentarily startles Munakata and for a split second, he’s tempted to reach at Suoh’s face with his hand to feel that familiar warmth and once and for all make sure this is not a product of his imagination. However, his sense of social conventions reminds him that there are people watching so he stops his hand midway, keeps it stretched as if to give a handshake, much more appropriate for a greeting.

When Suoh takes that hand, the touch makes Munakata’s heart skip a beat; like that hand sent electricity running through his body, and now he knows it’s _him_. He cracks a smile of his own, finally returning Suoh’s. They keep their hands connected for a rather long while, too busy staring at each other and dealing with their inner emotions. It’s the heavy gaze from the curious onlookers that makes them realize how awkward their pose actually is. Before letting go of his hand, Munakata squeezes tighter and says, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Welcome back, Suoh Mikoto.”

“I’m home,” Suoh replies and then HOMRA’s people are all around him again. It’s not like Munakata can blame them, of course; their enthusiasm is understandable and although he might not show it, Munakata might be the happiest one of the people here. After all, he’d thought for days that because of his carelessness, he’d lost one of his men, his friend and… _occasional bedmate? crush?_ Or _… Lover?_ That reminds him of the dreadful yet necessary talk he has to have with Suoh and the thought wipes the smile off his face.

When Suoh’s finally alone, Munakata comes to him and asks, “Mind if I have a few words with you in my office before you head to Bar HOMRA?”

“Sure,” Suoh says. They at once walk to Munakata’s office in silence and once they’re inside, Suoh asks, “So?”

“I think we need to talk,” Munakata says.

“Yeah, we should,” Suoh agrees right away.

 _So he’s thought about it as well then,_ thinks Munakata. “So how about we meet after work at my apartment?” he says. “There we won’t be disturbed.”

Suoh then laughs lightly, “Your apartment? So bold, Munakata.”

Munakata shoots him a severe look; that’s not what he meant at all, and Suoh must be aware of that. Part of him, on the other hand, also feels ridiculously delighted to hear that laugh _again,_ but he does his best not to let it show on his face.

“Sorry. It’s not the time for these kinds of jokes, I know,” Suoh says with a faint smile followed by an exhale. “But I think we should go to some place more impersonal; your place is still full of, y’know… too fresh memories. We can’t let ourselves be influenced by that.”

Munakata realizes, not without surprise, that Suoh’s really given this some serious thoughts beforehand and he isn’t sure if he’s reassured by that or not.

Nevertheless, he has to admit that Suoh has a point about his apartment so he suggests, “Then, the usual bar?” No place is more impersonal yet convenient for conversation than a bar, after all; and it’s not like they’ve done much or even spent that much time together there anyway.

“Sounds good,” Suoh says. “So what time’s your shift ending?”

Munakata checks the schedules. “At around 6,” he answers. “I’ll be there by 7.”

“So I’ll see you then, Munakata,” Suoh says before patting his shoulder and taking his leave.

 

Munakata spends the rest of the day absently, almost mechanically doing his work. He can’t help but think about his meeting with Suoh. He has a clear idea of what they are going to discuss, but still has no idea what they are going to _decide._ He doesn’t know what Suoh wants, or even what _he_ wants himself for that matter and by the end of his shift, his mind’s still in a deep turmoil. However, when he leaves the office, he’s determined that, come what may, they’ll settle everything before leaving that place.

When Munakata arrives at the appointed bar, Suoh’s already there. He isn’t seated at the counter this time. He’s chosen a table at a dark corner of the bar. They have to discuss rather private matters and can’t have anyone overhearing them, after all. He walks and seats in front Suoh, greets him with a nod and Suoh gives him an unsettling smile in return.

For an instant, Munakata doesn’t know what to do or say next but fortunately that’s the moment a waitress chooses to come and take his order. Munakata considers ordering some strong spirit with the hope that it’ll help him loosen up but decides against it.

“I’ll have a beer,” he tells the woman. He needs to keep his mind clear for the upcoming conversation, he knows.

When she comes back with his drink, Munakata doesn’t even touch it but gets to the point right away. “Are you going to quit being a pilot?”

Suoh shows no surprise at the question, “Do you think I should?”

“That’s not for me to decide, Suoh. It’s your choice and yours only.”

Suoh takes a moment to arrange his thoughts before answering, “That’s where you’re wrong Munakata. Sure, if I quit, I don’t even know what else I could do, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t like this job. But I know that if next time I don’t make it alive, you’ll feel guilty over it even if it’s not your fault, just like you did for Totsuka. And I don’t want to be the one responsible of you feeling that way; I’ve caused you enough trouble as it is.”

Munakata smiles disdainfully. “That’s some undue concern,” he says. And almost insulting at that. He doesn’t want Suoh to quit a job he likes out of pity for him. “Instead of worrying about me, think of that child under your responsibility. If you want to stop, it should be for her sake.”

“Anna will be just fine without me,” Suoh says self-depreciatingly. “She has Kusanagi and HOMRA who can take care of her better than me.”

“So you’re saying that I’ll be the only one who won’t get over it if you die?” Munakata snaps. Even if he wants to tell Suoh to have more self-esteem, he’s also outraged by how weak Suoh seems to think Munakata is.

“I never said you wouldn’t.” Suoh corrects. “You’re stubborn enough to keep moving on no matter what happens.”

“Then what’s your point?” Munakata doesn’t follow him anymore.

“I’m trying to tell you that if you persist on carrying the world’s burden on your shoulders, I refuse to come back and risk adding to that burden again.”

 _Easier said than done,_ Munakata thinks. “I can’t promise you I will stop feeling responsible of my men, Suoh. But… I suppose I can try and stop questioning my actions _too much_ if something goes wrong. That’s the very best I can do about that matter.” It might be benefic for his general mental health anyway, so it’s not like he’ll do that only for Suoh.

Suoh sighs then smiles, “Guess I’ll have to make do with that.”

“I take it I can start filling the paperwork to reintegrate you in our ranks tomorrow?”

“Sure. Oh, and when you make my flight schedule, make sure there’s one flight suitable for our plan in the near future.”

“‘Plan’?” Munakata’s lost again in this conversation.

Suoh, however, is looking at him with a knowing smile, which only puzzles Munakata even more. “C’mon, Munakata. It’s been a few days only and you’ve already forgotten?”

“You can’t mean…” He can only think of one thing, “…flying with you?”

“Bingo.”

“You really are persistent on that subject, aren’t you?” That’s really been the last thing on Munakata’s priorities since Suoh came back but he won’t go back on his word. “Well, anyway, after that incident I’ve decided to keep long distance flights to the strict minimum until a solution to the hazards of the weather is found. Finding a compatible flight should be easy.”

Suoh smirks, visibly pleased. “Oh? So you could even come along more often, then.”

“Don’t get too carried away,” Munakata says. “I’ve only promised you one flight.”

“You’re saying that now, but you’ll see you’ll take a liking to it,” Suoh says confidently.

 _So stubborn,_ Munakata thinks. “Anyway, there’s no rush. We can discuss the details of that later. For now…” He pauses. For now they have one more important matter to settle. The most delicate one, actually, so Munakata doesn’t know how to bring it up.

Suddenly, Suoh speaks up and says, “Do you think we should stop?”

Munakata raises his brow, “You mean, this conversation?”

“No. Um, y’know… seeing each other?”

 _So there we are._ Munakata tries to come up with some sound arguments for a few seconds but fails. He suggests, “Since apparently you’ve already thought of the main points of this conversation quite in depth, how about you let me hear your views first?”

Suoh takes a breath and while he’s speaking, he stares at his glass which he fiddles with at the same time. “When I was above the clouds, I actually had plenty of time for thinking. I thought mainly of all the things I was going to miss; flying, the calming ambiance at HOMRA, Kusanagi’s wedding, seeing Anna grow up and…” He looks up from his glass to Munakata. “… and spending time with you,” he completes.

Munakata averts his gaze, slightly embarrassed. Suoh smiles, still lost in reminiscence then continues, “When I saw the eye of the storm and realized I was above the land, I thought it was a second chance life had given me; one I couldn’t waste. And ending whatever it is we’re having would be wasting it.”

“You sure are good at seeing the bright sides of things _only_ ,” Munakata says sarcastically.

Suoh sighs and shakes his head. “I know what you’re thinking. If we keep this up, if there’s another incident and I don’t make it, it will be harder on both of us. But that may never happen anyway and then, there will be nothing left but regrets.”

Suoh may have a point, but Munakata’s still unconvinced. “But that may still happen,” he says.

Suoh counters, “Munakata, it’s true I might die next month in a crash, or struck by a car tomorrow, or in my sleep in sixty years; you could die before me, too, but that’s just how it is for everybody. If people avoided relationships in fear of losing someone, there would be no couples at all.”

Munakata looks at Suoh in shock. _Did he just say ‘couple’?_

Suoh groans in exasperation and rolls his eyes, “Stop right there, Munakata. I know that term bothers you, but I only used it to simplify things, that’s all. In our case, I think we don’t need to talk about that for now.”

Munakata tilts his head questioningly. W _eren’t they supposed to clarify things?_

Suoh smiles and says, “As long as it works, it’s fine right?”

 _‘As long as it works’, huh._ Munakata gives Suoh a resigned smile. “Sometimes I really envy that easygoing side of yours,” he says fondly.

Suoh smirks and teasingly, “All you have to do is stop being a stuck-in-the-mud.”

Munakata snorts and returns the smirk, “Not everyone wants to turn into a barbarian.”

“But civilized people don’t know how to have fun,” Suoh retorts presumptuously.

Munakata tries to keep a smile of circumstance, mainly to hide his frustration. He is frustrated because now it seems like Suoh’s the puppet master who solved everything tonight and Munakata’s just been accepting what he said. Munakata might be happy to have things more or less settled and in a good way at that, but his drive for competition with Suoh hasn’t changed -most likely won’t ever change, actually. Therefore, he’s trying to find a way to get the last word in this conversation and keep up appearances.

He finishes his drink, leaves a bill on the table. “It’s on me,” he says then he stands to leave. Suoh looks at him confusedly, probably because they haven’t finished talking so Munakata makes a gesture to invite Suoh to follow him.

When they’re outside, Munakata suddenly says lowly, “ _Carpe diem_.”

Suoh starts, “Huh?”

“‘ _Carpe diem_ ’,” Munakata repeats.

“What’s carps got to do with any of this?” asks the barbarian and Munakata is tempted to facepalm.

“Literally, ‘pluck the day’. That’s one civilized person’s idea of how to enjoy life.” Suoh still doesn’t seem to understand. “In a barbarian’s language, it means ‘Have sex as much as you can while you can’,” he suavely whispers into Suoh’s ear.

Suoh gasps and only now does he seem to realize they’ve been walking in the direction of Munakata’s apartment. When he’s back from his surprise, he smirks and says, “Civilized people sure are shameless.”

Munakata huffs. “That’s the last thing I want to hear from _you._ ”

Strangely, Munakata feels that nothing has changed between them; same bickering, same _attraction,_ but at the same time it’s like everything’s _different,_ too _._ Munakata can’t point out just how, but now he feels more serene about the future.

 _We don’t know what hardships await us, but moments like this will make them worth it,_ is what he thinks as he closes the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, and I here was hoping to get this story done in two months... *almost five months later*  
> Still, thank you guys for having followed me in this little story, for the kudos and comments! It was such a nice trip thanks to you all <3

**Author's Note:**

> Yaay thank you for reading till the end! Kudos are yummy, comments too~ *winks*


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